As I’ll be doing an e-bike tour of Holland & Belgium this coming summer I figured (as recommended) I’d rent one several times and take long rides to get comfortable and also build my butt tolerance (
) - after exhaustive research I realized I could buy a good enough one for about the same cost, but without the restrictions (time, location, weather, etc.) - I found this one, which is very similar to what will be ridden on the tour, at 1/2 off, local(ish) pick up, and they absorbed the tax. I have a friend and his son who are mechanical and will ask for help with the few bits needing assembly. I’m excited and a bit anxious. I’ve ridden 2 e-bikes before. Any hints or clues? I have a helmet. Wouldn’t ride without one. We have hundreds of protected bike paths here, so assume I’ll use those.
I just went on a bike trip, and the guides said you should buy a bike from a company that has been/is likely to be in business for many years, and that has parts easily available for the bikes.
The other “argument” is buy a cheap one, and it will be a cheaper thing to hang clothes on when you never use it :).
Always wearing a helmet would be my primary concern, so glad you have that.
D says she sees lots of older people coming into the ER with injuries from riding e-bikes, Mostly wrist/arm/shoulder/collarbone.
She says wear helmet, don’t try to go faster than your skill/experience level and be sure to understand e-bike don’t brake and handle the same way traditional bikes do. (More like a motorcycle, less like a bike). Most of the injuries she sees happen when beginners go too fast and lose control.
D and SIL both have e-bikes they use to haul kids (up to 3 at a time!) around the very hilly neighborhood they live in. I am thinking about trying out one of theirs but both bikes are surprisingly heavy and I’m a bit intimidated.
highly recommend good cycling shorts or biking skort with padding for your bike trip - also a chamois cream available at cycling shops - don’t leave home without it !
I don’t find standard ebikes that much different if you already have good biking skills - biggest difference is no clips on the ebikes I have ridden and the initial hill boost may surprise you the first few times.
What is that?
I recommend Terry bike shorts. They are available at REI. If you order direction from Terry, they usually have free shipping on Friday, and if you join their “club” or whatever, you get emails on Monday morning with some really good sales.
I couldn’t have said it better myself ! I would not go on any bike trip without it and use it starting on day 1 - you will be very happy you did.
Just ordered some!
stock up - as you could sell the extra to everyone else that forgets it 
i would imagine the bike company would have it on their packing list, but just in case they didn’t I wanted to mention it.
I used an e-bike for our tour of Versailles. I loved it. Mine had 5 assist levels, with levels 1 and 2 being the most appropriate for the tour. At one point I tried out level 5. It was very fast, and very fun.
It’s not on their list. Maybe because the most well ride each day is 40 miles. I used to do 20 daily when D was a tot. I’d put her in the bike seat, and off we’d go. I’d peddle and she’d nap (win win) - we’d stop at the beach playground on the way home.
No.
I own some chamois butter, but I’ve never actually used it, including on rides over 50 miles.
Well if you need it you need it and i would always recommend using it so your ride is not ruined - it is easy. You can’t undo the damage quickly. If it is hot - even more of an issue to get chafed and the all the remaining days will be miserable. We are a family of cyclists and agree we don’t use it for rides around our area - but would sure have it for a multiple day trip and for 40+ miles ride.
I have an e-bike I regularly ride for exercise around where I live.
Broadly speaking, there are a couple completely different product types both marketing themselves as “e-bikes.” The type I use, which I personally consider a “real” e-bike, is exclusively “pedal assistance.” There is no throttle and it cannot move on its own power. It simply enhances your own leg power by moving more than you would purely on your own power. This is mostly useful in causing less exertion for the same distance or elevation while still handling exactly like a regular bike in terms of gears, braking, balance, etc. These bikes also top-out the speed at which they will provide any assistance in the low-to-mid 20 MPHs, though it would take a ton of your own leg power to get to that speed or maintain it, except down hills. Overall I still get a decent workout but am able to do more miles than I would have (and perviously did) made otherwise and I can handle steeper hills that would have wiped me out without it. I usually use the lowest setting which adds about 20% to my own leg power.
Then there is entirely different product cynically marketing itself with the same “e-bike” label but which is really just a new generation of electric “mopeds.” These have throttles and can self-power using only the motor and don’t require human pedaling. And they can be easily modified by users to go far faster than any bike. These for the most part give real e-bikes a bad name. While these are really scooters that should be used on vehicle roads, users abuse bike lanes with them. In NYC many bike lanes are dominated by food delivery people on these, easily going 35-45 MPH, rarely stopping for pedestrians or red lights. Because they can go far faster than a real bike and because they don’t require self-pedaling, they can be dangerous to handle for some inexperienced riders who lose control, and because their speed makes any accident a more serious one. And these are what is causing many communities to restrict or ban e-bikes. I think the makers of these fake e-bikes knew they had mopeds with electric motors but saw an opportunity to re-brand and take advantage of bike lanes. The pedals are mostly for show – I rarely see people pedaling with them.
I think the one I got is more like yours. Active pedal assist - which is what I wanted. I have zero intention of going top speeds, I want a mellow bike ride where I don’t have to work as hard on hills and even on flat land. I want to meander along the beach, and on our many, many(!) miles of bike paths. And to get ready for my trip.
I appreciate your details -
Thank you for explaining this. I have a pedal assist bike that I love. I too feel like the other (moped type) give e-bikes a bad name. In my town, kids bomb around town on them, weaving in and out of parking lots and just really careless. The parks near us don’t like them either as they are hard on the trails. All that said, I do think they look fun.
I have a non-E bike for my home and use pedal-assist bikes on vacations when I want to cover significantly more ground and don’t know where hills will be. I walk a lot, but I do not want to be drenched in sweat while on vacation.
I work in the city and see e-scooters that are completely automated.
I do the same- have regular bikes I ride on our local trails. I live in a very flat area. I’ve rented e-bikes when traveling- from Italy to Switzerland , Vermont, etc. they have all been pedal assist and help with the hills. Enjoy your new bike.
The pedal assist type of bike has been life-changing for my husband. He used to be a huge cyclist but then medical issues interfered. He hadn’t been able to bike for over a year until he bought an e-bike. It has given him incredible freedom that he had lost.
To the OP, it might have already been mentioned, but make sure you have the standard safety equipment (lights, bell), repair kit (mostly for flats) and water bottle mount. And if you ride trails, make sure the bike is allowed.